Save Me
by ThisIsHeavy
Summary: Reese and Bianca fight to save their family Disclaimer: All My Children and the characters there in are the sole property of ABC and their creators. I take no ownership of this work and therefore permit its use for any reason by the afore mentioned owner
1. Bumpy Landing

Chapter 1: Bumpy Landing

Reese tried every day while she as in Pine Valley to remember something about Bianca. Sometimes it as just the smell of her hair as it rubbed up against Reese every morning before they got up, other times it was that goofy child like grin Bianca would get at what seemed like the most random moments. Sometimes she felt like she could even feel Bianca near her, especially in her blindness. There was absolutely nothing, not even that stupid letter, that could shake Bianca's memory out of her head; it was ever-present, and ever-clear. So naturally, hearing that Bianca was back in town, even if only momentarily, made the feeling that she could fall apart at any minute all the more palpable.

She literally had to make herself stay away, even though everything in her said to lock Bianca away somewhere until she realized that they belonged together. She was even willing to (well not willing, but capable of) letting Bianca walk away once again, she would do anything if it meant Bianca's happiness. So hearing that the one thing that could make Bianca happy was the thing Reese had been begging for all this time, hearing that nearly melted her heart. Maybe she was so excited (too excited) that she let her mind get ahead of her. She started entertaining thoughts of those mornings in bed together just before either of them got up. She thought about being able to hold her, and play with the girls, and kissing Bianca. God if there was one thing Reese missed most it was Bianca's warmth and she felt it most whenever they kissed. Reese allowed herself to get excited about all these things, but she had no idea what kind of an uphill battle she was in for.

They didn't speak the entire plane ride back. A few times Reese wasn't even sure if Bianca had changed her mind. Bianca could be a bit indecisive at times and it wouldn't have surprised Reese if Bianca suddenly wanted her gone again. She tried to gauge Bianca's feelings through the silence, but there was nothing just a completely blank stare and a slight grin of complacency. Every time she wanted to speak she thought better of it and changed her mind. She was too scared to even try, she felt like she didn't have any right to speak to Bianca about anything. No, Reese was sure; if they spoke it would have to be on Bianca's terms. So she sat, in silence, looking at the love of her life and wondering what would become of them.

As the pulled up to the penthouse Bianca instructed the driver to wait, something Reese normally would have thought of as odd, except that she was caught off guard by the sound of Bianca's voice. That soft angelic voice she'd gone without for so long. Now, with all the silence all she wanted was to hear that voice; Bianca's voice could pull her out of anything. Waiting in front of the suit doors was their personal nanny Caroline who, taking one child in each hand, walked them down the entry way to the elevator doors.

"Vous nous manqué Madame Montgomery, et vous aussi Madame Williams" Caroline greeted them

"Merci Caroline" Bianca said with a genuine smile "Would you mind taking the children to bed? I'd like to stay in the lobby with Reese for a while."

Reese was still mesmerized by the sound of Bianca speaking, but she was present enough to catch that Bianca wanted to be alone with her. Even as she watched the kids disappearing as the elevator doors closed she was still stuck on Bianca so much so that she temporarily forgot she was still with her.

"It's lovely." She finally blurted out with the kids out of ear shot.

"What is?" Bianca asked in a shy but curious way. Reese hadn't even realized she was audible. Now she was face to face with the most breath taking vision of a person standing right before her and she couldn't even gather a decent explanation. After stuttering uncomfortably for some time, she finally settled on the truth.

"Your voice, it's…I haven't heard it in a long while and I didn't realize how much I would miss just you talking." She finally explained.

For a while all Bianca could do was stare, she didn't want to upset Reese, but she didn't know what to say and she wasn't sure how to feel just yet. Sometimes she felt like she could kiss her and forget everything, and other times she felt like the biggest idiot in the world. Sometimes when she looked at Reese instead of seeing the woman she loved she saw a woman she now despised. Even though the logical parts of her remembered that the break up had not entirely been Reese's fault, she couldn't help but see someone that nearly tore her family apart whenever she looked at herself or Reese. Bianca loved both her girls, but if there was one thing in the world she wished she could change it was the way Gabby came to be. She knew the plan was ill-conceived and she went ahead with it any way, even hiding it from her sister out of guilt.

"Can we go sit at the bar maybe, we've got some things to discuss. I just didn't want to do it in front of the girls."

Nodding her head in agreement, Reese followed Bianca over to the bar and sat in the stool next to hers. Right away the waiter brought them each a glass of their favorite wine. Bianca let out an exasperated sigh in between sips of her glass.

"It's so hard to sit next to you; I want to do so much more than sit next to you Reese."

Reese digested the words as best as she could. She understood, she didn't like it, but she understood what Bianca meant. They had to take it slow, they needed to take precautions to ensure that they were doing the right thing for them, and for the kids. Still, whenever she caught a glimpse of those big brown eyes or the way Bianca's outfits always seemed to hang in a way that sent her mind racing, Reese could barely control herself.

"I understand, it's alright. I can sleep on the couch or in the guest room until we move in to the house then we'll…"

"Reese wait!" Bianca interrupted "You can't stay in the penthouse, I don't even want you in the building."

"What?" that was all Reese could manage to get out in her stunned state of shock.


	2. Give me my Sin Again

Chapter 2: Give me my sin Again

"What?" Reese repeated still in shock. "You can't be serious Bianca I thought…" Before she could finish Reese found herself interrupted again, this time by an unexpected kiss from Bianca. She told herself to pull away but it was the exact opposite of what she was doing. Bianca was kissing her as if they may never get the opportunity again and every passing second time seemed to be slipping away from them. Reese was breathing in every last bit of it and returning the kiss with equal passion. Finally Bianca managed to break away sighing a bit with both want and regret.

"I shouldn't have done that"

"You shouldn't drink wine." Reese joked back.

"God you're right. I do such stupid, stupid things when I drink." Bianca moaned "Like trying to seduce my best friend, and trying to have sex with Derek, and asking my brother in law to be my sperm donor."

"Ok wait, first Gabby is not a stupid mistake, and second, who is Derek?" Reese was beginning to see that alcohol made Bianca horny, but she didn't think she would hear a guy's name in the list of people tempted by Bianca the drunken Casanova.

"No, no Gabby's not the mistake. I just wish we had waited, and maybe chosen someone else. One of your relatives, or I don't know…anyone, anyone but Zach."

Reese was trying to understand she really was, but the more she thought about it the more it sounded like Bianca wished they hadn't had a child together and that Gabby was her child with someone else.

"No Bianca! Gabrielle, our daughter is here exactly as she should be, all ten fingers and ten toes of her. She's the most beautiful expression of our love God could ever gift me with." Reese was surprised at herself she was a little more passionate than she had intended and it left Bianca in wide-eyed shock.

Their hands met at the center of counter space between them. Reese stroked Bianca's fingers back and forth with a sense of familiarity. She whispered her apologies in to Bianca's ear and just like that they were nuzzling each other. They sat tucked in their little corner of the bar as if they were the only two people there. Pretty soon Bianca, who'd guzzled her third glass of wine, had nuzzled her way down to Reese's collar bone. She was sucking on the edge of it, a move she knew would drive Reese crazy, but it just felt right.

"I missed you every second of every day." She whispered while letting Reese caress her newly curled brown locks. Nibbling her way down Reese's shoulder she continued "Why didn't you come for me, why didn't you just hop on the next flight to Paris?" Bianca let the question linger.

"I wanted to, I didn't think I had the right."

Reese took a second to remember something Bianca used to say when they were in bed together. Any time she started kissing Reese on the neck she'd say that it was her happy spot because of the way it made Reese smile. Then she would get to Reese's shoulder and say that it was her comfy spot because of the way it made Reese sigh, the she would get to Reese's chest…Oh god she was getting to Reese's chest!

"Bianca? Baby, don't you maybe think we should I don't know break it up?" Reese pleaded hesitantly.

"I just want to get to your…"

"Oh honey I know what spot you want to get to." Reese declared as she finally managed to pull herself away.

"See this is what I mean, you can't be anywhere near me. I'm around you and my head gets all cloudy, I don't think clearly."

After a few longing stares and another sigh of resignation they both knew Bianca was right. Whatever they wanted it would have to wait until they were both sure. This meant lots of cold showers and mint chocolate ice-cream for Reese, and several laps in the pool for Bianca. Reese grabbed her coat from behind her chair pointing to the front doors.

"I guess the car waiting outside is for me then?" she implored although she already knew the answer.

"Yeah, is that ok I didn't want to…" Bianca seemed to be rambling.

"It's fine, I'll see you tomorrow." Reese assured her. She reached a hand out to cup Bianca's cheek "I feel like I don't even know what we are anymore" she said in passing, giggling away her regret.

As she turned away and walked toward the doors Bianca called after her.

"We're still married Reese. You're my family, I'm your wife."

That little declaration was enough to last Reese however long it would take to get their relationship back on track. It was proof that Bianca still got her. She knew no matter what that Bianca would always be her family and that was all she needed to know. Looking up at the night sky Reese could see every star known to man she felt like it was nature's way of telling her everything would be alright.

"Where to Mrs. Williams" the driver asked from behind a tinted glass window. Hotel Jardin des Enfants please"

Reese got to the front desk and requested the same room she'd been staying in before she met Bianca. She wanted to have some sense of familiarity about her, and she didn't feel comfortable moving in to the house she built without Bianca. It wouldn't be right without her and the girls there, every room was designed with them in mind. She even made the play room an open area in the center of the first floor so the she or Bianca would always know what the girls were doing. Her favorite thing was the two way arching spiral staircase, Reese still wasn't quite sure how the architects managed to get it done. The thing Bianca loved most was that the entire house was made energy efficient, something she was constantly on Reese's case about. Just thinking about the house made her wish for the girls and Bianca; that was exactly why she couldn't go there.

Crawling in to the bed she looked out the window at the night sky. Reese knew Bianca was looking out at the same sky and maybe even thinking the same thing: this is not where I belong. With one last prayer for the girls Reese turned the lamp off and resolved to go to sleep.

Unfortunately, there wasn't much sleep to be had. It took her about three hours to fall asleep and she woke up four hours later to the sound of loud persistent knocking. She tried to figure out who would be rude enough to be knocking at 7:30 in the morning. It was no use, everyone Reese could think of was well aware of the fact that mornings were not good for her, she could be a complete monster if the wrong person approached her. She drugged her way over to the door yawning and pulling at her slightly matted hair.

"Whoever it is you better have a good reason" She started before pulling the door open. Surprise filled her body at the sight before her.

"Oh my God! How'd you know I was here?" Reese inquired.


	3. Winning a Battle

**AN**: It has litterally been forever and I apologize. Am working on a masters degree so that gets in the way. Wondering if there are any Breese fans left after the latest Minx stuff. Well, here goes.

* * *

"Oh my God! How'd you know I was here?" Reese inquired.

"Mommy Reese looks silly" Miranda declared at the sight of the disheveled woman before her.

"She sure does sweetie, hey why don't you and Gabby go inside and see if you can find a cartoon to watch." Bianca watched as her older daughter took hold of the younger one who was just barely walking and yanked her in to the room in search of the television.

"I know I should have called, but I thought it would be nice to have breakfast together and once I mentioned it to the girls…they couldn't wait to see you." Bianca explained

"What about you?" Reese let the question slip before she could take it back.

"Well, we always had breakfast together before. And I think maybe I might be craving your strawberry crepes." They both knew Bianca was avoiding the question, but it wasn't worth debating for either of them. Stepping quickly to the side Reese motioned for Bianca to come in.

After taking a few minutes to make herself more presentable, Reese snuck her way over to the kitchen and got started on everyone's breakfast. For Miranda she made two crepes with banana slices and Nutella; for Gabrielle mashed sweet-potatoes with marshmallows on top. When she got to Bianca it took her a minute to think of something. It wasn't that she didn't remember, she just didn't want to be too presumptuous. She usually shared a plate of grapes with yogurt and granola with Bianca, or they would eat from opposite ends of a large strawberry crepe. Now though, it was as if she was frozen in place with her inability to decide. She finally settled on two separate plates of their own strawberry crepes.

Sitting the plates on the table as she called the girls away from the television, Reese looked up at Bianca silently wondering if separate plates would be ok. Bianca smiled her approval and they all sat around the table. For a few minutes it felt just like before, just the way their lives used to be before everything got so messed up. Then came the questions. Miranda had so many questions; she was at that age where "why" was the most important word in the English dictionary. She wanted to know why Reese was at a hotel, why mommy and Reese were sitting so far apart at the table, why her crepes were so yummy, everything, she wanted to know everything.

"Mommy how come Reese is Gabby's mom, but not mine?" that was the last straw for Bianca she loved her daughter, but at times she wondered if Miranda had been replaced with an Erica Kane clone.

"You're just as much my angel as gabby sweet heart" Reese offered a quick explanation after noticing the small twitch Bianca was trying to hide. It put a smile on Miranda's face to hear Reese say that, so naturally they thought that would be the end of it.

"But if you and mommy are married now, doesn't that mean you're my mommy too?"

Reese didn't know the right answer to give, she kept looking at Bianca who was still twitching woth irritation. "It means that now you have two people who love you to pieces and we're both going to be there for you every day. I think that makes me very lucky." Reese tried to reason with Miranda.

"and me too" Miranda added. "My friend Laura's dad got married to not Laura's mom; she calls her daddy's wife Mommy Camilla" Miranda continued which caused Bianca to chock a little on her coffee.

"Can I call you Mommy Reese?" Miranda asked earnestly. Reese knew it wasn't her place to tell Miranda what to do here. Her relationship with Bianca was still a little unsettled and she wasn't sure how often she would be seeing the girls in the future. Try explaining to a six year old that you didn't know how long you'd be married to her mommy and weren't sure if it was time yet to start throwing around the M word. Even though the thought of it warmed Reese's heart and knowing that Miranda thought of her as a mother the way she thought of Miranda as her child meant everything to her, she just couldn't say anything.

"Miranda honey finish your breakfast and then we'll all go to the park ok."

Bianca stated firmly. She had a way of communicating with Miranda that reminded Reese of her own mother. Bianca never raised her voice, or let on that anything was wrong, but just by her facial expression Miranda knew she'd asked one too many questions. The rest of the meal continued in silence with a few giggles as they all watched Gabrielle attempting to feed herself. Then they were all off to the park for the afternoon. It was easy at breakfast for Reese to avoid any accidental contact with Bianca, but riding in the town car was another story all together. The seats were limo style one long arch shaped bow of leather seating. It wasn't as if they could just sit in different rows. Gabby needed to sit in the center because of her car seat, Miranda insisted on taking up the entire right side to play with her Barbie dolls; that left just enough space to the left of Gabby for Bianca and Reese to sit together. Bianca fumbled with her hands trying to figure out what to do with them since there wasn't much space between the two of them.

"You're trying to avoid me." Reese giggled.

"Can you blame me? Last night I nearly ripped your clothes off" Bianca explained finally managing to squeeze both hand to her right side.

"No, I can't. But I won't go crazy just because your little pinky brushes against my thigh. I have a little more self control than that." Reese was trying not to laugh but it amused her to no end that Bianca would rather be incredibly uncomfortable than risk even accidentally touching her.

"You may have the will power of a tri-athlete but I don't ok." This last statement sent Reese over the edge she filled the car with her infectious laughter.

"In that case, I'll just have to be strong enough for both of us." She resolved.

"You're going to keep me from sleeping with you?" Bianca asked with a quizzical expression on her face.

Reese just let the question go unanswered she was sure they'd have plenty of time to decide just how quickly they wanted to rebuild their relationship and on what grounds.

It wasn't long after they reached the park that Miranda was running around like a crazy person with Bianca doing her best to keep up. Reese took Gabby and found a nice table where she could watch Bianca and Miranda. Looking at the two of them running around like two peas in a pod reminded her of the very first time she saw Bianca, except this time there wasn't a ball coming toward her head. Bianca gave Miranda a kiss on the forehead and sent her off to the swings then joined Reese at her table.

"It's like she never runs out of energy" Bianca declared between gasps of exhaustion. They both took a minute to take in everything. Bianca wanted more than anything for every day to be like this and to have Reese back in their lives for good, but the fear in her heart wouldn't let her say it and she knew Reese would never ask. Bianca reached over to rub Gabby's back. She was sleeping so comfortably in Reese's arms. It was the perfect picture of every happy moment Bianca ever wanted with Reese. She allowed herself to look away from the swings long enough to stare in to Reese's eyes.

"I love you so much it scares me" she finally admitted. "I don't want you to hurt me again."

"Bianca I…" Before Reese could finish the sound of Miranda calling out for her mommy jolted both of them back to reality.

Reese instinctively got up without thinking. But when she remembered that Miranda had called for her mother she went to sit back down. Bianca, taking Gabby in her arms, pulled Reese back to her feet.

"What are you waiting for she's calling you." Bianca explained. They exchanged a small kiss on the cheek and then Reese was on her way to see what Miranda needed. When she arrived at the swing set she saw Miranda looking lost and holding a red balloon.

"Honey what's wrong?" Reese posed the question with the utmost of concern in her voice.

"I lost my doll on the swing and now I can't find her." Miranda explained. Reese was relieved to see it was only a small matter, she'd feel incredibly guilty if Miranda got hurt while she was distracted.

"Well, was it Barbie or Skipper?"

"It was Skipper, duh! Barbie doesn't like the swing." At this point Reese noticed the doll in question tangled up in the straps of the swing. Quickly untangling it she retrieved it and returned it to a grateful Miranda.

"Thank you mommy, thank you so much." Reese smiled back at the little girl, she wanted to say something but was caught off guard by the red balloon tied Miranda's wrist.

"Sweetheart, where did you get that balloon?" She wanted to be sure it didn't belong to someone else.

"My friend gave it to me" Miranda explained very matter-of-factly.

"Well where is this friend? I want to say thank you."

"She was helping me look for Skipper too, but she had to go so she gave me a balloon. She wasn't supposed to remember but she did."

Reese was beginning to feel very uncomfortable. The more questions she asked the more answers she wanted. Miranda was starting to act very peculiar as if she were hiding something.

"What was this friend's name?"

"It was Mommy's…I'm not supposed to say. But she remembered my favorite color," She finished.

Returning with Miranda to the table, Reese pulled Bianca to the side to let her know what was going on.

"It's probably just some secret admirer from school." Bianca dismissed.

"No Bianca, this was someone you know. It was a female that you know, who also happens to know Miranda's favorite color."

They sat pondering the possibilities in silence trying not to let on to the girls that anything was wrong. Reese didn't want to push the issue, but she wondered if Bianca had been with anyone while they were separated. She didn't have to say anything Bianca always knew what was on her wife's mind.

"I couldn't even think of anyone, but you the whole time Reese. There's no one else."

Right away Reese felt ashamed of herself for even thinking it was possible.

"It's ok. You're just trying to protect Miranda, which is incredibly cute by the way."

"I'm sorry, ya know I bet it's nothing."

"you're right; it's probably nothing."

Then Reese was back in her hotel room alone as if the day had never happened and she was back to missing her girls and Bianca. She wondered how long it would take for them to be whole and healed again, but for now she would settle for the little victories, like Miranda and being Miranda's mother.


	4. Losing the War

**AN**:Wow, it has literally been years. I apologize, I figured no one was reading anymore. I got caught up with school but now that its over I am trying to finish all my fics this summer. Again my apologies, but I promise this fic is going to be really meaty and fun.

* * *

Two whole months had passed. Gabby was about to celebrate her first birthday and Miranda was in the middle of another school year. Reese and Bianca spent the last few weeks together almost constantly in preparation for Gabby's birthday. It wasn't the easiest thing in the world to say the least, but they were making it work. Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday Reese would meet Miranda and Bianca at the Cambias suites so they could walk together to school and every Saturday Bianca and the girls would come to Reese's hotel room for breakfast. Reese got to spend her lunch breaks visiting Gabrielle and she would spend Sunday Brunch with Bianca alone just talking.

They were working on their closeness, but it wasn't the same. It was safe, too safe. They behaved as if there were unspoken rules guiding their behavior and unseen walls keeping them from contacting each other. Any time Reese thought of going there she remembered Bianca's voice in the park. It was tender and fragile practically pleading with Reese not to hurt her again. How could she prove it would never happen again? How could she show Bianca there was nothing that could possibly put their relationship in jeopardy ever again? There was nothing that could definitively remove the doubt she knew was looming in Bianca's heart.

For the past two weeks though they'd been together almost every waking hour planning Gabby's birthday which was set for this Friday. It was going to be the grandest first birthday party any baby had ever witnessed. Bianca made sure to have the event catered with all the best adult food and all of Gabby's favorite Gabby foods. It was going to be held in the grand ballroom at Cambias full of bright colors and lively entertainment. Reese managed to design a life-sized doll house that was clock triggered to play the theme song from Baby Einsteins every other hour. Bianca wasn't sure if putting Miranda in a room with a giant doll house would be such a good idea. She feared that Miranda would not exhibit her best sharing skills. But Reese assured her that would not be the case, she'd orchestrated a deal with Miranda where she'd get to keep the dollhouse after the party.

Today they were supposed to be meeting with the caterer and the fire breathing act. Unfortunately, the caterer was late, which left Bianca and Reese in Bianca's suite making awkward small talk.

"So um…I saw the Forman building the other day." Bianca fumbled through the words

"Really? What did you think? Did you like it?" Reese waited to hear Bianca's critique. She loved that her wife wasn't afraid to be honest about her new designs.

"I like the new lobby and the marbled glass is just stunning."

"But…" Reese implored while taking Bianca's feet in her lap. She began massaging them the way she usually did and waiting for Bianca's reply.

"Well, I just don't get why the commerce area is on the third floor when there's all that open space on the first level."

Reese knew Bianca was right. She'd tried to talk the company into that very plan, but they wouldn't relent even though all of their business took place on the first level.

"See that's why I love you, you get me even when you're not trying to."

They'd reached a familiar point in the conversation once again. Lately, they couldn't talk for more than five minutes without one of them getting turned on. Two days ago it was Reese who needed to take a break. They were having brunch together and Bianca was wearing another one of her outfits. She got up to greet Reese with a hug and Reese just turned away sitting down without even making eye contact. Eventually Bianca got the picture, she wouldn't admit it but she'd worn that outfit on purpose. Today though it was Bianca's turn to lose focus and have to walk away. Here Reese was massaging her feet and talking about love as if there was absolutely nothing wrong with that. Her blond hair freshly tussled and swooped over her shoulder was just begging for Bianca to run her fingers through it.

"I want to." Bianca declared.

"You want to what?" Reese was faking naivety. She knew exactly what it was Bianca wanted to do, and she herself was running out of reasons why not. They were married after all, and what else were they supposed to do, continue acting like perfect strangers? Bianca was horrible at pretending she wasn't attracted to Reese, when she felt something Reese knew it. Reese on the other hand was able to manage, but Bianca was beginning to think Reese just wasn't attracted to her.

"I want to take you and this little foot massage you're doing in to the bedroom" Bianca clarified.

Bianca reclaimed her feet and crawled forward toward Reese. She stopped just short of her lips.

"You are my wife, we are married, I love you, you love me; what are we still waiting for?" Before Reese could properly answer Bianca had her by the lips once again. Reese wasn't sure how she'd allowed this to happen again. It was partly because she wanted it to happen, but the other issue was that Bianca usually wasn't the assertive type and Reese just never knew what to expect lately.

Reese once again managed to pull away "Bianca we can't do this."

"Why not? Do you have another reason for that or are you finally going to admit you just don't want to have sex with me?"

Reese nearly doubled over at the accusation.

"What? No Bianca. Of course I want to; it's all I think about. I just don't want to do it for the wrong reasons." Reese assured her.

"But I'm fine now" Bianca took Reese's hand and placed it on her heart. "I trust you more now than I ever did before, and I'm ready. I really think we should do this."

Reese could feel Bianca's heart beating rhythmically beneath her palm. The steadiness of it was soothing to her. She didn't have the heart to tell Bianca that it was she who wasn't ready. She'd let a few setbacks turn her in to someone she didn't even recognize and she ended up hurting the one person she loved most. She was still scared of becoming that person again. But Bianca was already kissing her happy spot and unbuttoning her blouse, there wasn't much Reese could do to stop her. Luckily she was saved by the bell as the caterer finally arrived.

"um, Baby I have to get the door" Reese pointed out to Bianca who was still working on her happy spot.

"Alright fine, but promise me you still think I'm…"

"Amazingly hot and mind-blowing in bed?" Reese offered. "Honey, you could have showed up here dressed as The Tin-Man, I'd still be thinking about oiling your parts."

Somehow that last statement didn't exactly paint the right image, but Bianca got the sentiment. They were both glad for the meetings to be over. It wasn't that they didn't love each other, but with Reese upholding the sex ban, Bianca couldn't stand being around her wife.

The day of the party finally arrived and everything was going just as planned. Zack and Jackson arrived early to help set up, the caterers were being handed their instructions, guest were expected to arrive within the hour, and the ballroom looked amazing as planned. Reese was running around trying to make sure everything was in order. She nearly strangled the tailor when he said that he'd misplaced Gabrielle's birthday dress, luckily Jack was there to calm her down.

"So how are things with you and Binks?" He asked in earnest.

"They're better, they're…" Reese froze in her thoughts as it suddenly dawned on her that Bianca was nowhere to be found.

"Excuse me Jack I need to make a phone call." With that Reese left the room only to return thirty seconds later on the verge of panic.

"Jack I need your help."

"Alright, what do you need me to curl some ribbons." He asked half jokingly.

"No, it's Bianca she's not here and she's not answering the phone."

Jack patted her shoulder reassuringly. "Honey, calm down I'm sure Bianca has a perfectly reasonable explanation. She's probably out picking up the cake."

Seeing that he hadn't done much to assuage Reese's fears Jack finally relented

"Alright, tell ya' what, I'll go out with Zach and we'll both try and see if we can fish her out for you."

Reese was reassured and went back to making sure the party was in order. The guest were arriving with their children and she was doing her best to wrangle both Miranda and Gabrielle together so that they could greet them at the entry way. But thirty minutes later when Jackson and Zach returned without Bianca in hand that panicked feeling returned once again.

"I've got my best men looking in to it Reese, just for Gabby's sake try and stay calm" Zach advised. Reese trusted Zach and knew that it was important to Bianca that Gabrielle have the most amazing party ever. So, however reluctantly, she did as she was told. The party was going off without a hitch the kids loved the doll house and the Alice in Wonderland theme. The fire-breathers caused quite a stir which was exactly what Bianca wanted, but the most important thing was that Gabby was having a blast. She even made a grand entrance by being escorted in on a rickshaw. Finally there was a surprise performer that Reese figured Bianca forgot to tell her about. A mime came in mid-way through the festivities dressed as The Tin-Man and did a silent comedy bit with an oil-can full of melted chocolate. The kids loved it, especially the part where they all got to pin felt hearts on the tin-man's chest.

At the end of the party Reese met up with all the performers and the catering staff to settle accounts. She was trying to get things over with as soon as possible so she could go find Bianca, but she didn't want people to feel rushed. She met up with everyone, said her goodbyes to the last of the guest, handed the kids off to Caroline and was just about to go looking for her wife when she was tapped on the shoulder by the mime.

"Alright Tin-Man, how much did that little performance cost me?" Reese asked pulling out her checkbook once again.

Instead of speaking, the mime pointed at Reese's lips and motioned for a kiss.

"I'm married and not interested, now how much?"

Once again the mime motioned for a kiss, which sent Reese's agitation over the limit.

"Look I have ways of making people talk ok. I'm not usually this snappy, but I've got places to be so hurry it up already."

The mime still motioned for a kiss, but this time a piece of paper was placed on the table for Reese to read.

After reading it Reese nearly fell on the ground in relief, then had to restrain herself from leaping over the table. She'd been handed a piece of paper that read "would you please oil my parts."

Bianca took off her hat and mask to finally reveal herself to Reese.

"You are a sneaky little woman" Reese declared finally able to calm down.

"Yeah, yeah. Well, it was worth it the kids loved it and the look on your face was priceless."

Reese moved over from the other side of the table and gave Bianca a peck on the cheek.

"There's just one little thing though" Bianca admitted.

"Oh yeah, what's that?"

"I need you to come up stairs and help me out of this thing." Bianca explained.

Back in the suite Reese managed to get Bianca out of her outfit to reveal that she was only wearing a slip underneath. Her dark brown locks were pulled back and she had silver makeup all over her face. She wasn't sure if it was the time, or the fact that they'd been waiting so long, but Reese really couldn't wait anymore.

"Hey Bianca, where's your oil can?" Reese asked nonchalantly

"It's in the kitchen, why? What are you going to do with it?" Bianca asked while taking her hair down after washing her face. She was too busy to notice that Reese had already slipped in to something more comfortable.

"I'm going to oil your parts." Reese answered mischievously as she reentered the room.

* * *

**AN**: If you're still reading please let me know. When I started this AMC was still on and there was no Minx I am sad that it's off the air and would love to continue the story, if for nothing more than to keep my favorite character Bianca's story going.


	5. Hurry Up and Wait

**AN**: A short update, I will try to do one a day until the end from now on.

* * *

"Let's do it."

"Again? Bianca, baby believe me I love you, and all your many talents, but I'm a little worn out."

"No, I mean let's move in to the house I don't want to wait anymore." Bianca clarified.

Reese couldn't believe what she was hearing, granted it probably had a lot to do with the fact that Bianca was still coming down off of a major high. Still, she'd wanted to move in to the house for a while and knowing that Bianca agreed meant they were that much closer to making it happen. It was a good thing too because Reese was starting to get offers to purchase the property from her.

"We should probably wait until Miranda's school goes on break for the holidays." Reese hated being the logical and rational person but somebody had to do it.

"No." Bianca whined. "That's not for another two months and I can't wait that long." Bianca was so adorable when she tried to make her puppy dog face, but Reese wasn't budging.

"I know you can't that's why I'm moving back in here." This was Reese's idea of a compromise. " But this past year has been really hectic for the girls, especially Miranda. I don't want her having to deal with another change of scenery in the middle of school."

Bianca hated that Reese was right. She hated not being able to take that last step, but she knew that putting the children first was the right thing to do. She rolled out of bed and pulled Reese along with her. Reese had a meeting to get to and Bianca wanted to make sure she was on time; there were a few things she had to take care of before Reese got back in the afternoon.

*****XX*****

Reese was at Café Diderot waiting for her meeting with M. Albert, she couldn't help but be a bit nervous; She'd never been asked to work on a project of the type before. She didn't even know who to be looking for, any time she saw a man walk past her she jumped with anticipation. She was beginning to feel childish with how nervous she was. It didn't help that she was on her third espresso by now. She needed to focus and get her nerves in check. A project like this could make or break her career, this was the kind of deal that could give her international recognition.

"Madame Williams I presume" she heard a male voice call from behind her.

"Monsieur Albert, how nice to finally meet you." Reese turned to see a distinguished and handsome older man standing before her. He had short cut waves of salt and pepper hair, a deep resonating voice, and an impressively firm hand shake. In many ways he reminded Reese of her father which made seeing him in person all the more difficult. She waved for the waiter to come and take M. Albert's order, but he insisted on just a glass of water as he took his seat.

"You've come highly recommended. I hope you've had some time to review the proposal."

"I hope you don't mind me asking, but recommended by who exactly?" Reese was a bit perplexed she didn't know anyone that would recommend her for this type of work.

"Well," M. Albert started chuckling dismissively, "We have a few board and staff members that are familiar with your work."

Reese was suddenly filled with a peculiar feeling. The atmosphere in the café hadn't changed much; people were still going about having lively conversations and laughing about random things. It all jumbled together into a blur of nonsensical comments. The sun managed to creep through the awning that was meant to shade the café tables; normally something like that would put a smile on her face, but something about M. Albert made her incredibly uncomfortable.

"Well I took a look at the board's proposal and I've really got some great ideas about what can be done, but I have to be honest, I've never worked with anything like this before" Reese warned.

"Which is exactly why you'll be perfect for the job, we want our new location to be fresh and innovative. We're trying to think outside of the um… window is it?" As a Frenchman American idiomatic expressions were not M. Albert's area of expertise.

"The box." Reese corrected politely.

She took a few minutes to explain some of her ideas and once she found her rhythm it was just like any other meeting with a potential client.

"So, do we have a deal?" Mr. Albert asked with his hand extended as if the question was just a formality.

*****XX*****

Bianca hoped she wouldn't be in trouble with Reese; but she was just so tired of not getting her way. She didn't have the energy to wait until the weekend for Reese to move back in to the penthouse. She was sure that after her initial reaction Reese would be glad Bianca took the initiative and had her things moved in to the penthouse while she was away.

She'd gotten in trouble before with Reese for using her Cambias connections to keep tabs on her, but even Bianca knew she'd crossed a line this time. She blamed her Kane side for this latest feat which took a surprising amount of maneuvering. First she had to find the movers to pack up and deliver all of Reese's things, then she had to bribe the front desk at Reese's hotel to let her in the room, then she had to have everything unpacked and in the right place all within two hours.

Reese was due back at any minute and the movers were just leaving. Bianca felt exhausted even though she hadn't done any of the heavy lifting. She ran to the door to give the men a nice tip before they finally left.

"Oh George would you mind sharing this with your men" Bianca asked as she handed him a few hundred Euro.

"Oh, merci Madame Montgomery. And, before I forget, I took the liberty of picking up your mail it's on the coffee table for you." George declared in parting as Bianca thanked him and closed the door.

She hated flipping through the mail because it was mostly junk lately, and she was proven right again today, or so she thought until she reached the final envelope.

*****XX*****

Mr. Albert sat at the café table smiling confidently. He knew all along he'd presented an offer Reese couldn't refuse. After the meeting he decided to stay a while and treat himself to a celebratory latte.

"Nice work Phillip" A woman announced as she approached his table.

"What do you mean nice work, you were watching me?" He was surprised to see her there, but he guessed he should have expected it.

"You were watching me?" she asked in mock tone. "Of course I was watching you, I had to be sure you wouldn't renege on your part of the deal" she explained.

"Alright so she accepted the deal, does that mean you won't tell my wife about the…"

"My lips are sealed" she assured him. Phillip was about to leave when he felt this nagging desire to ask a question that had been bothering him for some time.

"What is it about this woman, why Reese Williams? We could have just as easily gotten it done with any other contractor."

The woman looked Phillip in the eyes; she was one of the few people actually capable of scaring him. Her eyes were deathly serious and she didn't look away once.

"Let's just say, she has something I want."

* * *

**AN**: Thank you for reading and commenting, it really helps.


	6. Letter to a Broken Heart

**AN**: Another short update, but a good one.

* * *

She couldn't even bring herself to open it. She had a hard enough time believing the name on the return address. But, there it was staring her in the face in boldly stroked letters. She didn't have to open it, just by looking at it she knew way more than she ever wanted to. Bianca kept reading the upper left hand corner of the envelope over and over to be sure of herself.

Dr. Maggie Stone, Children's Oncology

Paris Central Hospital

2164 Rue de la Place

Office nombre 301

Paris, France Arndt 13

Just that alone was enough to tell Bianca that Maggie was still in France and working as a doctor in Paris no less. They hadn't spoken to each other in over two years, but now she was writing her. How was it possible they'd been living in the same city all this time and hadn't once crossed paths. She debated with herself for entirely too long about whether or not she should open the letter. She thought about everything she and Maggie had been through. She thought about all those nights at the boathouse, how Maggie had been there for her through her pregnancy with Miranda, how she'd been there for Maggie when she was dating Jonathan. She also thought about how quickly Maggie had been willing to throw all of that away on a whim. There was a place in her heart that still felt Maggie was her best friend; it was that feeling that motivated her to read the letter.

_Dear Bianca,_

_I'm sorry to be writing you like this, secretly I hope that you've moved and this letter never reaches you. It never once crossed my mind that there would be a day when we were no longer friends; even as I write it now I have to laugh at the idea. _

_I read in the paper that you were married. I'm truly happy for you and your new wife, but hearing you were off the market broke my heart. I hope she knows how lucky she is. Bianca, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't jealous. I had hopes that you would someday forgive me and that you and I would build a life together with Miranda. _

_I want you to know that my heart will always belong to you and Miranda. I hope someday we can go back to being friends._

_XOXO_

_Maggie_

That was it. Bianca had to read it twice to be sure, but there didn't seem to be much more information. Before she even had time to think anything else about it the doorknob twisted and she quickly tucked the letter away in her purse.

Reese opened the door and skipped in to the room grabbing Bianca and giving her a big kiss.

"Well hello to you too." Bianca stated, still startled.

"Where are the girls?" Reese inquired her voice ringing with excitement.

"They're with Caroline, why? Wait Reese slow down and tell me what's going on."

"Baby, remember that contract I told you would be impossible to get?"

"You got it?" Bianca asked, temporarily joining in Reese's excitement. She couldn't help it but her mind was still on Maggie's letter.

"I have to go get the girls, we are going to celebrate." Reese gave Bianca another quick kiss before running off to find Caroline.

If she hadn't been so excited she might have noticed the far away look in Bianca's eyes; maybe she would have even stopped to ask what was wrong. But, it had been so long since either of them had happy news to share that Reese just wanted to relish in it for a while. Bianca couldn't blame her for that.

*****XX*****

The week that followed was a bit of a rollercoaster for Bianca. In between all her meetings at Cambias, she found herself in the middle of a PR blitz trying to help restore the image of her sister's company after her mother's fling with Ryan hit the tabloids. Her only real comfort was knowing that when she got home Reese would be there for her, but even that wasn't always true because the new contract she was working on kept Reese at her office until late most days. By Friday Bianca found herself curled up in bed with Miranda and Gabby waiting for Reese to get back. She was thumbing through the mail once again, and once again found a letter from Maggie hiding at the bottom of the stack.

_Dear Bianca,_

_I know I shouldn't be writing you with this, but after seeing you the other day I felt I needed to apologize._

_I take a detour through the park sometimes hoping to see you and Miranda, yesterday I got my wish. I saw your wife and your new daughter. Bianca, they're beautiful. It's easy to see how happy you are with your new family and I feel like a fool for having held on to you for so long._

_I hope you can forgive me._

_Best wishes,_

_Maggie_

She hoped that meant this would be the last of Maggie's letters. She didn't know how much more she could take. But for the sake of their past Bianca was willing to let go of how angry she was that Maggie had been following her around town. She would have written back but she honestly felt no reason to. Like Maggie said, Bianca was truly happy and she felt no reason to do something that could possibly mess that up.

Hearing the front door open, Bianca quickly tucked the letter away in her purse along with the first one. It wasn't long before Reese was crawling in to bed alongside Bianca and the girls.

"How was your day?" Bianca asked with sleep in her voice.

"I spent the entire day drafting plans, the only highlight was seeing you on the news talking about The Miranda Center." Reese complained in exhaustion. Bianca was bombarded with e-mail requests for interviews about her mother's affair and she finally agreed to an interview today as long as the questions focused on anything but the affair. She loved her mother, but sometimes she felt like Erica was the child and not the mother.

Miranda's head shot up at the sound of her name.

"Mommy your home!" She yelped "Can we go to the park?"

Reese smiled back at Miranda. The girl really was like an Energizer-Bunny, you wouldn't even know she'd been sleeping.

"We'll go tomorrow honey, now go back to sleep ok."

Bianca couldn't take the idea of being in the park though. Just going outside with the kids frightened her to no end.

"No! We're not going to the park tomorrow" she proclaimed, a bit more furiously than intended.

* * *

**AN**: Thank you for reading would love to hear some feedback about this chapter.


	7. Spare the Rod

**AN**: Today's update brought to you by Dr. Bataglia extension 198...gosh I miss AMC.

* * *

"Why can't we go to the park Bianca?"

It was a perfectly reasonable question, but Bianca still wasn't any more willing to answer it.

"Because I said so, now just, can we drop this please?"

Reese looked on at her wife and knew that she was being lied to. She also knew that if Bianca was lying it was to protect someone. So, in spite of her curiosity, she let it go.

"Ok then, we won't go to the park." Reese conceded

"Thank you, now can I have a kiss before I fall asleep?"

Reese tried to pretend her suspicion wasn't piqued as she reached over and gave Bianca a quick soft kiss. If Bianca wasn't going to tell her what was going on, she'd just have to do some investigating on her own. She already had an idea that it might have something to do with that Red balloon Miranda was given.

The next morning at breakfast Reese made Miranda's favorite: Nutella crepes with banana slices and a glace of milk. Bianca was happily sharing a giant bowl of cereal with gabby and Reese was reading the paper and taking in spoonfuls of yogurt.

"What's with the breakfast today babe?" Bianca asked taking note of the discrepancy in quality between her and Gabby and Miranda's plates.

"What? I thought you liked Fruit-loops." Reese mocked.

"Mommy said I get to have whatever I want cause I'm special." Miranda added.

Bianca rolled her eyes in Reese's direction "Please tell me you did not say that."

"Yeah, no. That's not exactly how it happened" Reese tried to explain. "What I said was that I needed Miranda's help today and that in exchange for being my special helper she got to pick her breakfast."

Reese began to fiddle with her yogurt nervously while pretending to read the paper to avoid making eye contact with Bianca. Reese knew Bianca would be taking Gabby to her doctor's appointment and she planned on using the time to sneak Miranda back to the park to see if she might be able to recreate what happened that day she lost her doll.

"You, can put down your paper I'm not upset. But you're going to spoil her, you know that right?"

Reese had a sneaking suspicion that Bianca was right, but she couldn't help it. Any time she saw either Gabby or Miranda she lost a little bit of sensibility. The way Reese figured it, Bianca was enough of a disciplinarian for the both of them; it only made sense that she get to be the fun parent.

"You are going to be late for your doctor's appointment." Reese tried to change the subject.

Picking up her things, Bianca grabbed Gabrielle and headed for the door. "Alright but try and make sure she eats actual food while I'm gone."

It wasn't long after till Reese and Miranda were outside walking their way down to the park. It was nice to see Miranda playing outside in the fresh air. She was really beginning to look so much like her mother it was scary. She had her mother's chocolate brown hair that twisted in the wind and added to the angelic glow about her, she had the same deep set brown eyes that were always a glow with curiosity, she even had Bianca's smile. But there was one thing about Miranda that didn't seem to also be a part of Bianca. Bianca always seemed to be guarded, most likely out of necessity, but still it took a while for her to trust people with her heart. Miranda on the other hand could meet someone and make them her best friend all in one day.

"But mommy said not to go to the park." Miranda innocently reminded Reese.

"Yes she did, and it's very good that you remembered sweetie. But, technically we're just walking through the park on our way to somewhere else." Reese explained. This seemed to satisfy the younger girl's curiosity.

"Oh, ok." Miranda offered her approval. "but where else are we going?"

Reese could kick herself for doing this but she just loved watching Miranda get excited. She had to admit Bianca was right, she was a total push-over.

"Well, you have to promise not to tell mommy, but we're going to your favorite restaurant." This latest revelation led to lots of skipping and chanting on Miranda's part.

"We're going to The Rooster, We're going to The Rooster" she repeated all the way to the park.

Reese stopped just before they entered the park. She needed to make sure Miranda understood what they were doing there.

"So, this is what I need you to do for me, I need you to try and remember something for me. You think you can do that.

"I'll try really hard" Miranda replied earnestly.

It was a rather warm day for the middle of November. The leaves were just reaching peak color and it truly was beautiful to look at. If Bianca hadn't put the kibosh on going to the park the night before Reese might have even suggested they all come back and take pictures.

"That's my girl."

Reese walked Miranda around the park making sure to pass by all the places she remembered Miranda playing that day. Then carefully she started trying to jog the girl's memory.

"So, do you remember that day we came to the park and your friend gave you a balloon?" she asked. Miranda nodded her head feverishly in approval.

Walking back over to the swing set. Reese let Miranda pick out a swing and started pushing her.

"Mommy was chasing me, but then she got tired so she told me to go play on the swings."

Reese was glad Miranda remembered. This meant maybe she might be able to get more information out of her.

"Miranda, sweetheart, remember your friend, the one that gave you the balloon?" Reese asked, but Miranda was busy kicking her feet in an attempt to make the swing go higher, Reese wasn't sure if her daughter had heard the question.

"I remember, but I can't say; it'll make mommy upset. Plus, I promised to keep it secret." Miranda finally explained. Even though this frustrated Reese, she was still proud of Miranda for keeping her promises.

"You don't have to say her name, but do you think maybe you could tell mommy what your friend said to you."

Miranda dragged her feet against the ground until the swing came to a stop. She sat in serious contemplation for all of a minute. Finally, after reasoning that it wouldn't violate the rules of a pinky promise, she spilled what she knew.

"Well she didn't stay long, she just came really quick while you and mommy were talking. Then she said how she remembered that I liked red. Then she said she missed me a lot, and mommy, but I told her that mommy was happy now cause of you." Reese was happy Miranda was looking out for her.

"Oh and she asked me about Gabby. Then I lost my doll and she gave me a balloon." She finished her story in very plain fashion, as if it were no big deal at all.

Reese had one last question. "Miranda, have you seen this friend at the park before?"

"Sort of" Miranda admitted. "She's never talked to me before, but sometimes she sits outside at the market across the street. If I see her she waves to me."

Reese looked through the park fence at the market across the street trying to see if she could spot Miranda's friend. There were too many people though and it was too difficult to distinguish them. She didn't want to push it by asking Miranda if she could point her out. At least now, though, Reese was sure of the reason Bianca was avoiding the park. Reese was almost sure Bianca knew exactly who gave Miranda that balloon. Now the only question was why she wasn't telling Reese.

It wasn't even the same hospital, but any hospital in general gave Bianca a jumpy feeling lately. Walking in to the children's wing at St. Christopher's Mercy Hospital Bianca had to pan the room and make sure she wasn't being followed. She read every female employee's name tag trying to ensure that they were not, in fact, Maggie.

"Hello Gabby how are you?" Dr. Charles asked to just Gabby in particular. He was a very warm older man and very reminiscent of Joe Martin in Pine Valley. That made it rather easy for Bianca to trust him.

"My goodness Bianca she's gotten so big, what are you feeding her?" he joked.

"I don't know if she really eats anything as much as she just smears it around." Bianca replied.

They continued their small talk while Dr. Charles examined Gabby. Everything was going fine until he got to her throat. He tried to pass it off as if nothing was wrong, but Bianca could tell he was concerned, which concerned her.

"Is something the matter?" she finally managed to ask.

"Oh, it's nothing really, just a bit of inflammation" the doctor replied reassuringly.

"Has she had her flu shot yet?" he asked. Bianca felt horrible, she'd totally forgotten to get Gabby and Miranda their flu shots.

"Oh, no problem Mrs. Montgomery" The doctor assured her. "I'll just send one of the nurses in to administer it and everything will be just fine" Dr. Charles gave Bianca a warm smile and shook Gabby's leg before leaving the room. Even though she tried her best to be calm, she couldn't help but worry. She was not only worried about Gabby getting the flu, there was a small part of her that worried who the nurse might be. She knew Maggie was a doctor, she knew Maggie worked at another hospital, but something in her still worried that Maggie had eyes on her and her family.

* * *

**AN**: As always thanks for reading


	8. Spoil the Child

Bianca was beginning to see Maggie everywhere she went. It didn't matter if she was there or not. If Bianca wasn't itching to get out of the penthouse before, she sure was now. She wanted to be as far away as possible or at least some place Maggie wasn't familiar with. She sat in the room's lounge chair holding her baby as if at any moment someone might try and take her away. She told herself that it was just a cooling down period because Maggie had startled her. Even though she was upset about Maggie's letters, she still felt love in her heart for Maggie and she hoped it meant that someday they could find a way to be friends again.

It took exactly 438 seconds for the nurse to finally arrive. Bianca knew because she was counting every second until she would be able to get out of there. She wished Reese was there to help; she was the only one Bianca ever told about her fear of hospitals. Who could blame her though; Bianca didn't exactly have the best track record with hospitals. That horrible year surrounding Gabby's birth was full of so many sad hospital stays; come to think of it so was the time surrounding Miranda's birth. Now any time she had to go to the hospital she was either reminded of losing a child or losing a sibling.

She wasn't Maggie, in fact her name was Paula. And if she was staring it was more as a fan than as someone who might be relaying information to Maggie. Bianca noticed that Paula had been reading Scandaloux, that trashy French tabloid that published all those pictures of her mother with Ryan. She was so glad, she even let slip a few of Erica's secrets to the nurse's delight. Bianca was recalling the story of her mother trying to talk her way out of a traffic ticket when she felt her phone vibrating. She contemplated whether or not to leave Gabby with the nurse so that she could take the call, but when she saw the number come up withheld she decided against it.

****XX****

Reese and Miranda stayed in the park a while longer talking and playing on the swing set. Then Reese said that it was time to go which lead Miranda to chastise Reese.

"We did more than walk through the park; but I'll let it go this time." She said with all seriousness.

Reese couldn't help but giggle. "Come on you little stickler, let's get something to eat."

Miranda resumed her chanting as they walked their way down to The Rooster Pizzeria which was just two blocks up the street. Neither one of them noticed the woman who'd been watching the whole exchange from the café across the street. It wasn't for lack of trying either; no, whoever had been watching them took every precaution to ensure that no one would see her unless she wanted them to. Earlier when Reese looked across the street she intentionally turned her back, not that it would have mattered since Reese had never seen her before, but she wasn't taking any chances. She was so careful in fact, that when she heard Miranda walking up the sidewalk chanting about going to The Rooster she waited a full ten minutes before following behind.

When they finally got a table Reese once again indulged Miranda by allowing her to order her favorite pizza, a large pizza half Neapolitan, half fruits-de-mer with egg in the middle. They talked some more about school, about Miranda's new BFF Laura, and about the new house. It was an amazing bonding experience and one Reese was incredibly grateful for. She wanted Miranda to know that she had just as much of her heart as Gabrielle and that even though she hadn't been there from the very beginning, Reese had every intention of being there for her no matter what. It was the bonding that kept Reese from noticing the woman in the back of the restaurant taking pictures of both of them.

"What do you say we take the metro home?" Reese proposed as she wiped a stray piece of cheese away from Miranda's mouth. Miranda loved riding the metro, especially at night. She loved all the break-dancers that would perform at the station and getting a fresh chocolate croissant from Bon Journée. She was so excited she even started another one of her little chants

"We're going to ride the metro, we're going to ride the metro…"

Miranda pranced excitedly back in to the house still chanting about everything they'd done as she marched up to her room. "We rode on the metro, and we saw a snake charmer, and we ate at The Rooster…" she trailed along with Reese giggling behind her until she heard Bianca calling her name.

"Wait a second Reese, you went to The Rooster?" she inquired

Reese was a bit surprised by Bianca's tone she didn't think she'd done anything wrong.

"You told me to get her something to eat" Reese explained.

"Yeah I told you to get her something to eat; I didn't say you could take her to a restaurant that's two blocks away from the park I specifically told you not to go to." Bianca really didn't mean to be yelling, but she needed Reese to understand how serious she was.

"Well, so I decided that it would be ok." Reese shot back.

"Oh you decided" Bianca mocked. "It wasn't your place." She finished.

"Why not, hmm? Is it because you're more of Miranda's mother than I am?" Reese threw the accusation out without even thinking about it.

"No! And I'm tired of you constantly putting that out there. The problem I have is that I needed you to trust me and you clearly didn't."

Reese knew Bianca was right, but she was still upset about whatever Bianca was hiding from her.

"What do you need me to trust you about Bianca? What are you keeping from me?"

Bianca didn't know how she'd let this happen. Maggie was coming between them whether she wanted it to happen or not. She had to find a way to change the subject, but Reese was already so angry; there was really only one thing that could get her off her soap box when she was this upset. Bianca knew what she had to do.

"I don't want to fight with you" she was moving closer to Reese as she spoke. "and I'm sorry I raised my voice."

Although she was perplexed at this sudden change in demeanor from Bianca, Reese was happy to be the one winning the argument for once. "I don't want to fight with you either." She admitted.

Taking Reese by the hands Bianca made a quick move for the spot just below Reese's right ear lobe.

"You know that drives me crazy." Reese reminded her.

"And that's exactly why I'm doing it." Bianca teased.

But Reese did her best to pull away remembering all the work she still had to do.

"Honey I've got a ton of work I still need to get done for this proposal meeting tomorrow."

Bianca wasn't letting up, "Can't it wait" she asked in between nibbling on Reese's ear. "I haven't had any alone time with my Reese's Pieces in a very long time." She spun Rees around and caught her by the lips.

"Oh no, not the Reese's Pieces. Honestly Bianca I wish I could" she gave in for a second and let Bianca work her way down to her blouse before she remembered her resolve.

"I really need to finish my work, but I will get done as soon as possible."

Finally giving up Bianca had to ask "Well in that case can I at least know who it is that's got my wife all tied up with blue prints and protractors?" she asked.

Reese was surprised she hadn't told Bianca yet. She was sure she'd mentioned it before.

"I am designing the new children's wing for Paris Central Hospital." She said with great enthusiasm.

Bianca froze completely at the declaration. She didn't want Reese to be alarmed so she did her best to quickly put on a happy face.

"Oh my gosh, honey that's wonderful" She lied. "I'll let you get to it, I'm going to um, go check on the girls ok."

Reese went back to doing her work, but she couldn't help the resurgent feeling that she was being lied to once again.

****XX****

Maggie had a long night ahead of her trying to play catch up with all her research after putting her meetings on hold earlier in the day. It was well worth it though; she finally got to hear Bianca's voice, even if it was just a voice mail. She couldn't believe she'd kept her same number all these years. More importantly she managed to get herself a brand new picture of Miranda. She remembered the first time they took Miranda to The Rooster, Bianca only wanted her to have spinach and carrots, but when no one was looking Maggie would sneak bites off of her own pizza to Miranda. After that day she would take Miranda to The Rooster whenever Bianca was busy at work and they would split one large pizza that was half fruits de mer and half Neapolitan. It was also nice to see how much Miranda was beginning to resemble her parents. So, in spite of the fact that she probably wouldn't sleep tonight, she felt very good about what she was able to get done today.

* * *

**AN**: As always thanks for reading


	9. Guess Who

She couldn't tell Reese the truth, but she couldn't let her go to that meeting alone either. The problem wasn't trying to figure out what to do, it was just trying to figure out how to get it done. She knew she needed to get Reese to invite her to that meeting at the hospital, but she couldn't quite figure out a logical explanation for why she would need to be at a board meeting with her wife. After much thought she finally settled on trying to convince Reese she wanted to be there for moral support. It wasn't the best excuse in the world, but Bianca had a trick to getting Reese to agree to things that would otherwise sound ridiculous.

She made sure the kids were asleep before setting her plan in motion. Then it was go time, she put on one of Reese's button-up blouses and her favorite pair of boy-cut shorts and set the lights low. Grabbing her glasses and a cup of tea she walked over to the wicker chair she'd purchased for Reese's birthday picked up her favorite book and started reading. Bianca wasn't sure why, but whenever Reese came home to her reading like this, well let's just say she didn't stay reading for very long. She heard Reese's punch key entering the card slot, Bianca figured it should be even easier this time around since Reese had already promised her sex earlier. Unfortunately she found herself unpleasantly surprised by the reception she received.

"I'm too tired." Reese yawned apologetically. "You're sexy, and hot, but I'm tired and a mess." With that she marched off to the bedroom while Bianca sat in a dazed wonder. She had to put a halt to this hospital nonsense, if not because of Maggie, then at least for her sex life.

Six o'clock in the morning is usually the time of day the birds start to sing their little morning songs; it's probably also around the time of day that dew starts to settle on the vegetation. At six in the morning the sun is just starting its assent over the morning sky and greeting little school children as they wait to be fetched by the bus. There were beautiful and glorious things that happened at six in the morning, but Reese Williams never intended to be awake to see them, especially not on a Sunday. Today was different though, today she was on a schedule and priority number one on her list of things to do was Bianca. Reaching over the side of the bed she grabbed a spare pillow and with forceful precision she wacked Bianca over the head with it.

"Wake up." She declared.

A startled Bianca looked up in wonder as if trying to find the source of her attack.

"Wh..what happened? Are the kids ok? Is something on fire? What did my mother do?" Bianca listed her fears in order of priority. She'd had many a dream about the crazy things that could happen while she was sleeping.

"No, honey everything is just fine, but you need to wake up." Reese explained.

Bianca looked over at her alarm, then back at Reese. "It's six, in the morning, you know that right?"

Letting out an exasperated sigh, Reese took a moment to consider her words. Spelling things out in pain staking detail was not exactly in her plan for the day.

"Bianca, sweetie, I've got to be out of the door by 7:30, and the kids will be awake at 7:00 and wanting breakfast. So that means excluding the thirty minutes it'll take me to take a shower, put my clothes on, and brush my teeth, you and I have about thirty minutes to do whatever we want." As she finished she waited to see how long it would take for Bianca to connect the dots.

Unfortunately for whatever reason it didn't work and Bianca just stared at her confused until she remembered she'd had an unfinished cross-word from the other day. Picking it up from the nightstand, she walked off to brush her teeth, leaving Reese in bed bewildered.

"Hey honey, I'm stuck on a nine letter expression for dining at a restaurant" she called out from the bathroom. Luckily, before Reese could be of any assistance Bianca had a sudden light-bulb moment. She sprinted back toward the bed like an Olympic hurdler leaping over the mattress to get back in the covers with Reese.

"I guess I should send The New York Times a thank you letter" Reese joked. Bianca didn't care she was too busy trying to take advantage of every last second they had left.

It was just what they both needed, and just enough to remind them of why they were sleeping in the same bed. Bianca watched in adoration as Reese scurried across the bedroom trying to get in and out of the shower in ten minutes or less. She even helped by picking out an outfit for her to wear and styling her hair while she applied her make-up. In between all of this, Bianca figured it would be the perfect time to try and weasel her way in to the board meeting.

"Hey, do you think I could maybe come with you this time? I never get to see what you do." She did her best to sound genuinely curious.

Any time Bianca asked to go to work with her, Reese was suspicious. The last time Bianca came to one of her job sites she saw a spider and tried to climb up an unsecured wall in terror. "Absolutely not, besides, this is just a boring board meeting." Reese insisted.

"But that's exactly why I want to go, no creepy spiders, and I get to see you being all cute and assertive." Bianca pleaded.

But Reese put her foot down "Bianca this isn't exactly the company picnic, I can't have just whoever I want showing up."

Biting her bottom lip in frustrated submission, Bianca relented. She needed time to think of something else before Reese left.

"Well, can we at least meet you for lunch?" she settled.

"Yeah, I think I might like that." Reese agreed.

To say the meeting wasn't going well would be an understatement. Reese had not anticipated so many media outlets to be there. There were big wigs, city officials, bloggers, news paper reporters, TV journalists, and a few doctors from the hospital all prying at her with incessant questions. She was beginning to kick herself mentally for even thinking of accepting this job. The amount of press around them and all the red tape were the exact reasons her father advised her early on to avoid government contracts. Unfortunately she let her ambition cloud her judgment and now she was tanking big time. They wanted to know how soon it would be done, why her estimate was so high, why the board hadn't gone with someone more experienced, how she planned to make it a kid friendly environment, what she could possibly know about hospitals or children when her previous work was mostly for private organizations. Pure relief filled her mind when the foreperson finally called for a break. She basically darted out of the room and wasn't expecting anyone to talk to her until it was time to go back, that's why she nearly crawled out of her skin when one of the doctors tapped her on the shoulder.

"Hey, it's kind of brutal in there. I won't tell anyone if you've decided to sneak off." The doctor joked without introducing herself. She didn't need an introduction; she was the very first face Reese was drawn to as she entered the room. Her eyes were striking and warm and she was one of the few smiling faces in the room.

"Yeah, I'm not exactly hitting it out of the park in there am I?" She was trying to make light of it, but inside Reese was seriously freaking out.

"What are you doing for lunch, maybe we could talk about it?" The other woman offered.

Taking this as an advance, Reese quickly shot her down "Thank you, but I'm supposed to be meeting my kids here for lunch." Reese watched as the other woman's facial expression turned to one of confused curiosity.

"Well, in that case, I'll just give you a quick tip. You're dealing with a bunch of Catholics, and traditionalists with large families; just try to make yourself relatable. They like hearing about families." After she finished she walked away giving Reese a quick dimpled smile.

Bianca arrived with Miranda and Gabby on either side of her almost as soon as the doctor was out of eye's view. She was carrying a takeout bag from Reese's favorite deli and two cups of mango-apple tea. Miranda let go of Bianca long enough to give Reese a hug.

"Mommy, we got to go to the deli cause mom burnt the spaghetti." She announced almost to the entire room.

"Miranda, sweetheart, remember what mommy said about inside voices." Bianca warned.

"It's ok" Reese assured her, "I needed the laugh."

They found a table right outside the hospital cafeteria and sat together. Bianca knew Reese needed to vent by the look on her face so she let her do most of the talking.

"I don't think I can go back in there" Reese admitted. It was exactly what Bianca wanted to hear, but for some reason, she couldn't let Reese walk away. Even if it meant possibly having to deal with Maggie, Bianca was not going to let Reese walk away defeated.

"Well, you're going to have to go back in there" Bianca stated flatly, "I'm not letting you leave."

"Yeah" Miranda added, "I'm scared of doctors too mommy, I can go with you if you want though"

Reese smiled; Miranda was the sweetest little angle sometimes.

"That is so sweet of you, but I think I need to do this one on my own" she explained. Bianca, however, disagreed.

"Hey, you said they wanted to see family, why not show them your family" she reasoned. "What have you got to lose? Besides, win or lose Gabby and I will be right here waiting for you."

Reese hated that they were both starting to make sense to her, but after a few last protests, she finally caved. Walking back up to her meeting with Miranda in hand, she waved bye to Gabby and Bianca from the elevator. There were some audible gasps as Miranda entered the room, but any and all protesters were quickly silenced when, to Reese's surprise and horror, Miranda started speaking.

« Excuse moi de avais vous déranger mesdames et monsieur, mais ma mère, comme moi, a peur de les médecines, alors je suis ici pour l'aide. Prends ma mains maman, n'avais pas peur. Ils sont touts gentilles. »

Extending her hand out to Reese until she felt it firmly gripped Miranda then smiled at the room full of people. If she'd learned anything from her grandmother in her 6 years of life, it was definitely how to work a room. They all ate it up like candy just as Miranda expected them to. Reese found it much easier to get her point across after that.

After the meeting Reese twirled Miranda around in a celebratory dance and made promises to her that Bianca would probably be very upset about. Even as they got into the car she couldn't help but be elated at the little schemer she'd helped raise.

"Bianca you should have seen it, she was perfect, like Erica 2.0. I'm telling you she could talk a cloud out of raining." Reese bragged. "I'm so glad I listened to you, oh and that doctor, I didn't catch her name, but I should definitely thank her."

"There were doctors at the meeting?" Bianca's curiosity was now piqued.

"Yeah, there were a few. I mean monsieur Albert was there, and a few of the attendings from the children's ward." Reese explained.

Fumbling for an excuse not to leave just yet Bianca started pretend rifling through her things.

"Oh, crap!" she exclaimed. "I think I left my phone at the cafeteria. I'll be right back." Reese didn't even have time to question it before Bianca was out of the car and back in the hospital.

As she stood in front of Maggie's office Bianca felt the guilt weighing on her conscience from the secret she'd been keeping. She just wanted some assurance that there wasn't going to be any trouble. At least that's what she told herself she wanted as she knocked on the door.

* * *

**AN**: As always thanks for reading


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